CSMonitor editors share their favorite people to follow on Twitter

BySteph SolisMarch 22, 2013

Twitter turned 7 this week. In celebration of the social network's birthday, The Christian Science Monitor compiled a list of favorite Twitter accounts. Each is informative and useful in its own way. Find out what each section recommends for you.

1.
International: Joshua Foust and C. Christine Fair

With more than 200 million active users on Twitter, it can be difficult to track down the most insightful voices on international news and politics.

The Monitor’s International section recommends two users, Joshua Foust and C. Christine Fair, for those who want critical perspectives on what's going on in the world.

Mr. Foust is an analyst who focuses on international security and intelligence issues. He contributes to PBS and The Atlantic, among other publications.

On Twitter, Foust is constantly engaged in conversations about international security, especially in relation to Asia. He not only tweets blog posts, but also weighs in on issues addressed in other articles to more than 10,000 followers.

“He retweets thoughtful articles and is an active, critical thinker on all things counterterrorism and foreign policy,” she says.

Ms. Fair, an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies, offers her thoughts on South Asian political and military affairs. She has also worked as a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation, a political officer to the U.N. Assistance Mission to Afghanistan in Kabul, and as a senior research associate in the United States Institute of Peace’s Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, according to the university website.

Fair has more than 11,000 followers on Twitter. She tweets mainly about South Asian politics and military issues, but she also offers insight on gun control and women’s rights in the US military. Occasionally, you’ll find a few food- or pet-related tweets too.

“At a time when political and military affairs in South Asia can feel cryptic, she raises a lot of good questions and helps peel back the layers of what’s happening,” Ms. Fisher says.